Police: Man Choked, Punched Pregnant Girlfriend in Stomach

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Police: Man Choked, Punched Pregnant Girlfriend in Stomach

A Springdale man faces two felony charges after police said he choked and punched his girlfriend in the stomach after she told him she was pregnant Friday.

Cristino Echaevarria-Medina, 35, was booked into the Washington County Detention Center on Saturday afternoon and released on $5,000 bond Saturday night, according to the Sheriff’s Department website. Echaevarria-Medina has a March 6 court date.

A preliminary police report said Echaevarria-Medina’s girlfriend, Laura Mancia, went to the Springdale police department at approximately 6:05 p.m. to file a complaint, and an officer noticed her throat was red and swollen. Mancia declined treatment but told officers her boyfriend had put two hands around her throat about an hour earlier at his apartment, the report said.

Mancia said she had told Echaevarria-Medina on Wednesday that she might be pregnant and he was not happy about it, the report said. On Friday, Mancia said she showed him a doctor’s note confirming her pregnancy and he became angry and told her, “I don’t need any more kids,” the report said.

The report said that Echaevarria-Medina began to choke her and pushed her against a wall but let go when he noticed she was about to pass out. Mancia said he punched her in the stomach and then left, the report said.

Mancia said her boyfriend told her if she told police things would be worse for her, the report said. When he left for work, Mancia drove to the police station, the report said.

Echaevarria-Medina faces felony charges of aggravated assault on a household member and third-degree battery against a pregnant woman and a misdemeanor charge of terroristic threatenting, according to the Sheriff’s Department website.